Warming at 18,000 yr B.P. in the Tropical Andes

Abstract

Abstract Palynological, paleopedological, and glacial geomorphological evidence from the area of the high plain of Bogotá in the Colombian Eastern Cordillera indicates a significant climatic warming around 18,000 14 C yr B.P. Comparison of dated vegetation changes, pedogenic episodes, and glacier fluctuations provides the basis for defining the so-called “La Laguna Interstadial” that lasted from 19,500 to 17,000 yr B.P. During this interstadial period, mean annual temperatures in the tropical Andes were up to 4°C higher than during the preceding and following stadial periods, when full-glacial conditions prevailed and temperatures were up to 8°C colder than at present.